Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal will be visiting Uzbekistan from 19 to 30 August 2024.

Mr. Rajagopal will examine the protection and implementation of the right to adequate housing within the national legislation and practices, focusing on affordability, physical accessibility, and the suitability of housing, as well as access to services and issues of forced evictions.

He will assess the measures taken by the Government of Uzbekistan to ensure the right to adequate housing for all population groups in the country. The expert will also explore issues related to the impact of the climate crisis on the right to adequate housing, along with the involvement of residents in decision-making processes concerning housing and urban development.

During his visit, Mr. Rajagopal will travel to Tashkent, Jizzakh, Samarkand, and Bukhara, including nearby areas, to visit student accommodations, shelters for victims of domestic violence, and facilities for the homeless. He will meet with representatives of central and regional authorities, judges, civil society organizations, and business community members working in the housing sector.

Mr. Rajagopal will present a report on his visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2025.

Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal (USA) began his duties as the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing on May 1, 2020. He is a Professor of Law and Development at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A trained lawyer, he is an expert on various human rights issues, including economic, social, and cultural rights, the UN system, and human rights challenges arising from development activities.

Special Rapporteurs are part of the so-called Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent human rights experts in the UN system, are the general term for independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that cover either specific country situations or thematic issues globally. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their personal capacity.